Please note: this page contains reviews and opinions sent in by Berkeley Parents Net subscribers. Your own experience may be different. Please always check references before hiring!

Refinishing cabinets and baseboards

Here is my dilemma. Our clear-finished maple kitchen cabinets (approx 17 years old) are both mucked up and somewhat water damaged. They are looking tired and declining. It seems like they should be in better shape than they are, but they're not. We had a painter look at them for a sanding and refinishing estimate but he said that, in many cases, the water damage was too deep for that to be an effective strategy. We had a furniture cabinet refinisher look at them who quoted over $15,000 for the job. At the same time, we need our flimsy floor kicks (thin veneer bender board installed at the same time as the cabinets) and perhaps our wood floors refinished. Who to call (painter, carpenter, and floor refinisher or is there someone who could do all of this?),and what service to ask for? Maybe replacing all cabinet doors (and drawers?) but not the cabinets themselves? Is there one firm that would do all of this work? I've been stymied by this for a while; I'm interested in ideas and suggestions. Thanks. Anon

Want to paint kitchen cabinets white

My kitchen cabinets are dark wood and look dated. I would like them painted white and I would like new handles. Has any one hired someone to do this?It sounds like the prep work is important so I do not want to just hire any one. I am also not sure what is a reasonable price for this. Thanks

Ulises worked with a carpenter to add trim to my 1970's era cabinets and paint them (instead of me ripping them out and replacing them). I worried that this would end up looking very 'homemade', but it looks amazing. You would think the cabinets came new from the factory after they were finished. I have a new kitchen. If you contact him he can show you before and after photos.

Ulises used a multi-step process including sanding and painting multiple times. He used a spray system that created a perfect finish.

He's always been reliable, on time, and his prices are very reasonable. He is attentive to small details, which makes a big difference in the look of the work. I've used Ulises for four projects now, and every time I'm thrilled with the results. Allison

Repainting existing kitchen cabinets

We're looking to do a relatively quick and inexpensive refurbish of our kitchen to make it tolerable until we can afford an overhaul. As a result, we'd like to keep the existing cabinets as they are but update the color. We would like to either have them restained or painted. Does anyone have a recommendation of someone who can do this job well and at a reasonable price? Older posts on BPN focus on refacing, but we do not want to replace anything, assuming that would be more pricey? Thank you so much! anon

Do-it-yourself cabinet installation?

my husband and i are thinking of installing kitchen cabinets ourselves in an attempt to save money.We absolutely do not have a clue on how to go about this.We are starting to read up on it but thought it will help to talk to someone who has done this before. Any recommendations as to where to get the cabinets,a must have tool or is this something we should leave to the professionals.Any helpful tips will be much appreciated.thanx

Basically you screw a strip of steel channel along the wall, and then each cabinet hangs from this channel by two fasteners, which can slide along the channel as need be. The doors are hung afterward. They also provide adjustable feet for the lower cabinets, and lengths of baseboard that you clip onto the feet in the toe space.

The 36'' wide cabinet has caused the counter to sag a little bit; 1/2'' countertop plywood does not span very well over 36''. I would recommend sticking with the narrower cabinets or using thicker countertop material. If your sink can only fit into a 36'' case, then definitely increase the countertop thickness.

Also, we chose one of the least-expensive Ikea finishes, a white enamel-like finish over particleboard. This does not hold up well in a wet environment - some water leaked onto the doors and caused the particleboard to expand and crack the coating. Choose the wood over the particleboard.

If you spend some time with the Ikea catalog and talk to the kitchen planners there, you can figure out what needs to be done - go for it! tiff

Cabinet design businesses

I wanted to let other parents know about Custom Spaces, a locally owned design and cabinetry firm that we have used twice to help us tastefully modernize our Craftsman kitchen and bathroom. They have a keen sense of how to maximize the use of a given space and were able to work within our budget. They have great design and color ideas too! Check them out www.customspaces.net satisfied customer

Our contractor recommended that we get our cabinets from Bay Area Cabinets in San Leandro. It was a bit of a drive for us (we live in Albany), but the quality of the cabinets was high and they were a better deal than Home Depot. -Linda

Other store-bought cabinets

Refacing/rehabbing cabinets

We are looking for an inexpensive way to improve our kitchen and I'm told that cabinet refacing could be an option (e.g. new facing on the frame and completely new doors). I really like our kitchen's layout and countertops but I just hate the cabinet doors. I checked BPN already and there weren't any recommendations. I already had Sears come out which ended up being a huge debacle because the guy was a total jerk and quoted me 10K. I've seen ads for Kitchen/HomeWorks in the paper but was curious if anyone has used them for refacing? I've also found a few guys on Craig's List that seem more affordable but I'm just not sure what the range is. Has anyone out there had a good (read affordable) experience with refacing? Thanks in advance! Lisa

My husband and I are locked in a debate over whether to only replace the kitchen countertop (old, ugly white tile) or to replace BOTH the countertop AND the cabinets (dark wood, possibly from the '50s or later, that he painted white on the outside.) He would like to put in a nice, new, granite countertop and leave the cabinets alone. I think a very nice, new countertop would look funny on top of such old cabinets, and that we will regret not doing the cabinets after it's done. We've gone back and forth on this and seem to go in circles. We can afford the bigger change, but it's still a chunk of money, and we don't want to do it if it's not ''necessary.'' And we can't decide whether it's a good ''investment'' or an ''indulgence.'' We both enjoy cooking and spend a lot of time in the kitchen with our 1- and 3-yr-olds, so investing in our kitchen is on the brain. I'm just really afraid we're going to regret not doing the cabinets along with the countertops. Can anyone give us more ideas or another perspective on this issue? Indecisive

If, however, the interior of the cabinets are in poor shape (splintered wood, warped drawers that stick, six million layers of old Contact paper on the shelves, whatever) or if you are frustrated with the size or layout of the cabinet space, then it's worth tearing them all out and replacing them with a new layout that will make the time you spend in your kitchen more pleasant. Wishing *I* could afford a re-do!

My husband and I are hoping to brighten up our dated kitchen and had Sears in to give us an estimate on cabinet refacing. We were shocked at how much it would cost- $12K for our moderately sized kitchen. The price was around $300/linear foot. Since we don't plan to stay in our home forever, we don't want to sink a lot of money into this project. I have looked at the UCB Parents Network recommendations for kitchen remodeling but didn't see anything on this specific topic and am hoping someone might have some info for us. Is that price the going rate? Has anyone used Sears and been happy (or not) with it? Or are there other recommendations folks might give us? We'd appreciate any feedback! Thanks. Liz

Formaldehyde off-gassing in kitchen cabinets

We are planning to do a major remodel of our kitchen in the coming year. I am concerned about the formaldehyde level (and off-gassing)in most comercial kitchen cabinets. Has anyone already done the research about specific levels of off-gassing in current brands? Have you found and installed any low- or no-formaldehyde cabinets? How do prices, function and durability compare to the standard ones? Thanks for helping keep our home healthy! R.K.

William Walker
Silver Walker Studios
510.215.1266
bill AT silverwalker.com
Liza AT silverwalker.com

Recycling cabinets

Don't throw out your cabinets! If you can't find someone who wants them then sell or donate them to Urban Ore (one on Asby and the other on Gilman.) They will sell them to someone else and the landfill will stay a little emptier.

DeWils Kitchen Cabinetry

We are considering maple DeWils Cabinets for our kitchen -- has anyone had any experiences, positive or negative, with this line of cabinets? We're looking at both the frameless and the face frame styles.